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Products > Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp aspleniifolius
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| Category: Tree |
| Family: Rosaceae (Roses) |
| Origin: Channel Islands (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Summer |
| Synonyms: L. floribundus ssp aspleniifolius] |
| Height: 20-30 feet |
| Width: 15-20 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Drought Tolerant: Yes |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp aspleniifolius (Santa Cruz Island Ironwood) - This California native evergreen tree is fairly quick growing to a maximum height of 50-60 feet and a width of 15 to 20 feet but is usually seen in cultivation as a slender upright tree with an open canopy no more than 30 feet tall. The main stems and large branches have interesting fibrous shredding gray bark that sheds to reveal deep cinnamon red new bark; the smaller stems, twigs and petioles are this same red color. The 3-5 palmately compound leaves, with the margins heavily scallop-toothed are often said to resemble those of the marijuana plant (Cannabis sativa). In spring into summer are produced 4 to 8 inch wide flattened clusters of white flowers that are held out from the foliage at the branch tips. The flowers age first to a chocolate brown and finally to gray - sometimes lingering on the plant for years. Leaves and twigs drop to the ground creating an interesting and attractive mulch below the plant. Plant in full sun to light shade and irrigate infrequently to very little but always deeply. In inland gardens it appreciates some shade in the afternoon and more occasional irrigation as well as protection from drying wind. This plant can become chlorotic in heavy soils when given excessive water. Established trees are drought and moderately frost tolerant, taking temperatures down to about 15 degrees F. Older plants can be rejuvenated by cutting down to the basal burl and the hard wood can be used to fashion long lasting garden elements. A great plant for a grove planting or as a specimen where a narrow tree is needed or it can be espaliered with support against a wall, as is done against the library at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Some object to the old flowers that hang on but these can be easily removed with a pole saw. The name for the genus is a combination of the Greek word 'thamnos' meaning "shrub" and Lyon to honor William Scrugham Lyon (1851-1916) an early resident of Los Angeles who sent specimens in 1884 from Santa Catalina Island to Asa Gray, who named the plant. Lyon and Rev. Joseph Cook Nevin (who Berberis nevinii is named for) collected together on Catalina Island and Lyon later published an island flora in the Botanical Gazette as Flora of Our Southwestern Archipelago. He was an early Los Angeles area nurseryman, establishing Occidental Nurseries and Elysian Gardens and was appointed the first head of the State Forestry Board. Lyon also explored and collected in Mexico and wrote one of the first California gardening books, Gardening in California published in 1897. Lee Lenz in Native Plants for California Gardens (Rancho Santa Anna Gardens 1956) noted that Lyonothamnus may have been discovered prior to Lyon's discovery as Professor H.C. Ford of Santa Barbara reported hearing about the Ironwood tree as early as 1875 and Willis Linn Jepson reported in The Silva of California: Memoirs of the University of California, Volume 2 (University Press, 1910) that Katherine Brandegee noted that specimens were sent to Europe by Gustav Eisen and other sources note that Gustav Eisen discovered it on Santa Catalina Island in 1874 and sent samples to botanists in Europe, but failed to note its taxonomic significance and was therefore not credited with the find. The specific epithet 'floribundus' means “abundant flowering”. The subspecies Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus from Santa Catalina Island, with leaf margins entire, is very rare and not generally considered as attractive as the subspecies aspleniifolius (meaning “leaves like Asplenium fern”) that comes from San Clemente, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Island. This subspecies was first described as a species by the American botanist Edward Lee Greene and later reduced to a subspecies by Townshend Stith Brandegee. It was first brought back from Santa Cruz Island to the mainland by Dr. Francesco Franceschi, who transported a burl stump back in 1894 and plants propagated from suckers off this plant were distributed throughout California by 1905. It was also reported that Franceschi returned with seed and that a large specimen at the Botanic Garden of the University of California, Berkeley was grown from this seed - other reports are that this Berkeley plant was grown from cuttings off of Franceschi's burl stump and that the collection date may have been as late as 1900. Studies showing extremely low seed viability on the island populations would seem to indicate that the early plants were propagated vegetatively. Fossil evidence shows that Lyonothamnus was more widely distributed throughout mainland California up until around 6 million years ago, but now is restricted to only 4 of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. Though authors Greene, Brandegee and Raven in the past have all spelled the subspecies epithet "asplenifolius" with a single "I" in the middle but this spelling has been determined incorrect and in the recent Jepson manual treatment it is now "aspleniifolius". This plant has long been commonly called Catalina Ironwood in the nursery trade but this is a misnomer as this this name should only apply to the plant native to Catalina Island, which is Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus while this plant should really be called Santa Cruz Island Ironwood. Another common name for it is Fern Leaf Ironwood.
This description of this plant is based on our research and our observations of it growing at the nursery, in our own garden and in other gardens. We always appreciate receiving feedback of any kind from those who have any additional information about this plant, particularly if they disagree with what we have written or have additional cultural tips that would aid others growing Lyonothamnus flor. ssp aspleniifolius .
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